teal candidate

Politicians who are both blue (Conservative) and green (environmentalist) are now identified as teal which is a mix of blue and green.  The first mention of a teal deal (an alliance between the greens and a conservative party) was in NZ in 2017. The Greens had canvassed the idea of being open to alliances between themselves and either of the main parties but nothing came of it until 2017 when the National Party needed an alliance to have a majority in the house.  Again, after much discussion about a teal deal, nothing happened. In 2019 the Greens ruled this out.

In the meantime there was speculation about the formation of a new blue-green party that was essentially conservative but with environmental policies.  This came to fulfilment with the Sustainable New Zealand Party launched in September 2019. There is now argument about whether this party is teal, blue-green, or green-green, so colours have become significant in political branding.  Sustainable New Zealand party has a logo which is half black and half teal, and says that its ideology is green liberalism.

Meanwhile in Australia we had Zali Steggall defeating Tony Abbot in May 2019 on an environmental platform with a Liberal base. Her campaign colour is teal. And now we have another independent (with Liberal inclinations), Allegra Spender, campaigning against the sitting Liberal candidate, David Sharma in Wentworth.  Allegra will stand up for business, climate and integrity, and her campaign material makes use of teal.  David Sharma sent out a newsletter to his constituents which displayed teal colours but not his affiliation with the Liberal Party, except in the fine print.  He was immediately upbraided for attempting to pass himself off as a teal candidate in an electorate which regards the environment as an important issue.  He maintains that no one can own a colour but we all know the significance given to colour in branding, political or otherwise.

So now any independent challenging a seat held by a Liberal Party candidate who is Liberal in essence but also concerned with climate change and environmental issues, can be described as ‘teal’.